Hurricane Maria made history when it transformed from a mere tropical storm to a catastrophic category 5 hurricane within just 24 hours. Maria came a few days after Hurricane Jose, a storm that just barely made landfall in the small island of Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria was the strongest storm the island has experienced in the past 30 or so years. The Hurricane devastated the natural landscape and left many without a roof over their heads. Help from the mainland took eight days to arrive and, at the present time, half of the island still has not received the food and water rations or necessary living supplies.
Due to Puerto Rico’s weak state and lack of economic flexibility, restoring the island can add around 3 billion or more to its debt, along with at least a year worth of hard work to repair. Due to the damaged infrastructure, closed roads, and lack of electricity, many Puerto Ricans have taken to fleeing the island.
Such was the case for my own family. It was hard on them to abandon their home and neighbors in need, but they are here for a better life until they can return. My grandmother, Minerva, is a 55-year-old native Puerto Rican who identifies as a Taino – a group of Caribbean indigenous tribes who no longer has any pure associates-has agreed to share her experience before, during, and after the hurricane.
**Disclaimer: conversations have been translated into English for the reader’s understanding**
Q: What did you do to prepare for the hurricane?
A: The first thing I’m going to tell you is that Puerto Rico is a tropical island, where the citizens are used to all these changes in nature. When we were first warned about hurricane Irma, the Puerto Ricans were afraid, so we all started to prepare. When Irma passed, we felt relieved. Then, we hear another hurricane was coming – Hurricane Jose – and it moved away from Puerto Rico. The people were already prepared from Irma, so it wasn’t a big deal. When we were told about Maria we ignored it; I thought it was going to pass like Irma and Jose. But it didn’t, and we were surprised. Little by little people started to understand that this was a category five hurricane.
Q: What happened once the hurricane started to move across the island?
A: It tore down all the communication towers through the entire island. We lost all communication; not even the TV news could reach us.
Q: If all the communication lines were down, how did you receive news or updates? If any at all?
A: There was only one type of radio, called “WAPA radio.” It had an antique system; it was so old that it was not affected by the hurricane. It was the only one that told us what was happening on the island. It would show us where there was flooding. I was scared because I couldn’t talk to any family. I didn’t know if they were okay.
Q: There are many photographers and journalists in Puerto Rico right now documenting the damage caused to the island. What do you have to say about the damage to the town and the people?
A: It was terrible. Trees fell down, street lamps fell down, people even had to sleep on their roofs because it was so flooded. People couldn’t get any help. When the people died, their family buried them in the yard. There was one woman with her husband, they lived in the mountain in a cement house, the hurricane rain made a landslide that covered the house and killed them all. There were three sisters; all were buried alive.
Buried alive?
A: Yes, they lived in a wood house, and the runoff carried them away and buried them alive. They suffocated and died.
Q: Reports say only 45 people have died, all because of illness and lack of medical attention. Are you saying that there are much more unaccounted for?
A: Yes. What happened was that after the hurricane, 16 people died; but, it was because they were old and had no medicine. After that, more people died. One man tried to fix his roof and slipped. Another man went down to the river to drink water, he used a canteen, he didn’t know that a rat peed in the water, so he got sick and died. More had heart attacks. Animals are everywhere
Q: So what are your opinions on how the government is handling the relief efforts? Did your neighborhood get any down in the town of Ponce?
A: Relief efforts? No. the government tried to send help, but none came. We only had each other. Neighbors would take out their machetes and help clean up the streets themselves. We didn’t get any food. The truck drivers couldn’t pass the roads, they would tell us that they are coming today, but then it would not come. So we helped each other. My friend has an avocado tree, and he would trade his avocados for a tire from the mechanic down the street. People who owned their own trucks would come around and help, other people had machines and they picked up the street. The local Puerto Rican government did nothing either.
Q: And finally how was life after Hurricane Maria?
A: It was frustrating. All the systems were down, and I had to get my diabetic husband his medication but the system was down, and they forced me to pay from my own pocket instead of the insurance. The people that left their houses and shops were robbed when they lived in the shelters. It was dangerous to go out at night. We had a curfew and if you went out, the military would arrest you. My house was damaged a lot. The tool shed was gone, and the roof that I made for the cars was gone too. I came here for humanitarian aid, but I’m still so sad about what happened in Puerto Rico. It’s going to take a long time before it is fixed. Or the government will abandon it, and it will be forgotten forever.
